This invention relates in general to anchoring devices and in particular to animal trap stakes.
The setting of animal traps is as much an art as it is a science. A hunter or trapper must be aware of what natural signs and conditions suggest likely locations for positioning the traps depending upon the animals being sought. A trapper must also know how to conceal the traps and in this regard he must also be concerned with how to secure the trap at the desired location so that once an animal is caught, the animal will not be able to escape by dragging the trap away. Animal traps are typically provided with a chain which may be wrapped around a tree trunk or fallen limb and then secured to itself. Although such a method of securing the trap may present concealment concerns, this method is also unavailable when such trees or limbs are not present in the area where the trap is desired to be located.
In order to provide other securing means, animal trap stakes have been conceived. Such stakes are designed for insertion into the ground and include means to retain the animal trap chain. One aspect of importance in the design of such stakes is that the pull-out force necessary to remove the stake from the ground be greater than that force which the animal is able to exert. A further design aspect is that the trap chain must be free to move about the stake so that the animal is allowed a limited range of movement. If the chain becomes locked, such as by being wound around the stake, no freedom of movement would be permitted for the animal to pace and the animal could actually break or sever its own leg and thus free itself while fighting and twisting in order to regain some freedom of movement. The animal trap stake disclosed herein provides improvements as to these design aspects as well as other advantages as will be apparent from the description.